Dotty: Injured, Neglected Goat Gets a New Home, and Soon a New Knee

When officers with the Finger Lakes SPCA came to a property to confiscate abandoned dogs, they found Dotty, too. This sweet goat was not only living outside without adequate food, water, or shelter in the dead of winter, but she was also suffering from a parasite infestation and hobbling on a leg that had been broken and left untreated. Because of Dotty’s disability, the SPCA needed to find a facility that could provide experienced care for the goat while they prosecuted the property owner. Farm Sanctuary took her in and began treatment.

The next month, we were granted legal custody of Dotty, ensuring that she would be safe forever from the person who exposed her to suffering and the threat of a slow death. We are thrilled that Dotty will able to spend the rest of her life at our New York Shelter, and Dotty is clearly excited about her new circumstances as well. She has become fast friends with a couple of other special-needs goats and also adores all the human attention she now receives. This friendly goat knows her name and runs out to greet visitors who call to her.

Soon Dotty will have surgery to replace the damaged knee in her back leg. In the meantime, she still walks with a severe limp, crossing her hind legs, but that doesn’t keep her from bucking, playing, and roaming as she pleases. Dotty has new friends, a new family, and a new home to enjoy, and she won’t let anything stop her from making the most of her good fortune.